BOOKLIST: Clive Cussler, deer camp companion

Although rifle season has been over for a few weeks, I find myself caught up with an author whose books, it has occured to me, have been my faithful companion over the past few years to deer camp.

Clive Cussler, adventure novelist and successful marine archaeologist has written nearly forty novels whose themes mirror the authors own interests. The most enduring of his characters, Dirk Pitt first appeared in 1973 with his first two novels, "The Mediterranean Caper" and "Iceberg", relatively conventional maritime thrillers. The third, "Raise the Titanic!", made Cussler's reputation and established the pattern that subsequent Pitt novels would follow: A blend of high adventure and high technology, generally involving megalomaniacal villains, lost ships, beautiful women, and sunken treasure. The Pitt novels are a fine mix of the intrigue of James Bond, the high adventure of Indiana Jones and the larger than life hero of Doc Savage.

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"Raise the Titanic" was the first of the Pitt adventures to hit the big screen, with the movie falling so far below Clive's expectations that he had consistently turned down offers to make another movie. The advance of technology that came hand in hand with the James Cameron 1997 blockbuster "Titanic" dispelled any credibility of raising the famed ship, but, this by no means lessens the impact of Cussler's tale.

In 2005, the novel "Sahara" hit the big screen, starring Matthew McConaughey as Pitt, and partner Al Giordino. While the story did to follow the book quite well, I was quite disappointed with the casting, as neither of the leads (to me) came close (physically and personality) to their literary counterparts. But hey, if you aren't a faithful Cussler reader, it was a great movie, and a promising franchise.

With currently 20 titles to his name, the adventures have taken Pitt, his best freind and sidekic, Al Girodino and the rest of his crew across the world and under its seas to discover the likes of Atlantis, the final resting places of many an ancient mariner, each somehow related to his current adventures. When not traveling, which he is doing most of the time, Pitt lives in his unique home - a remodeled and refurbished hangar on the grounds of Washington National Airport, near Washington, D.C.. A cast-iron stairway leads into a cluttered apartment with maps of the sea and models of ships scattered all about. The hangar houses his classic car/antique car collection, as well as a Messerschmitt Me 262 aircraft, a Ford trimotor aircraft, a Pullman railroad dining car, a totem pole and a cast-iron bathtub with an outboard motor fixed to one end. The hangar also contains items collected from prior adventures, and is protected by a state-of-the-art security system.

As an underwater explorer himself, Cussler has discovered more than 60 shipwreck sites and has written non-fiction books about his findings. He is also the founder of the National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), a non-profit organization with the same name as the fictional government agency that employs Dirk Pitt. Cussler owns a large collection of classic cars, several of which (driven by Pitt) appear in his novels. In what started as a joke in the novel Dragon, Cussler often writes himself into his books. His appearance often comes as someone that Pitt recognizes, but can't quite put a name to the face.

There is one Dirk Pitt outing of which I have yet to read (I am currently rereading 1981's "Night Probe"). It is the 2006 novel "Treasure of Kahn", about a Mongolian oil tycoon and his attempts to gain control over the world petroleum markets. It also has a secondary plot of a search for the treasures in the tombs of Genghis Khan and Khublai Khan.

Another Cussler series include the NUMA Files adventure novels (co-authored with Paul Kemprecos). This series of books focuses on Kurt Austin, head of NUMA's Special Projects division and his adventures. Some characters from the Pitt novels appear such as Sandecker, Rudi Gunn, Hiram Yaeger and St. Julien Perlmutter. Pitt makes brief appearances in the books "Serpent", "White Death" and "Polar Shift."

And yet another of his series is The Oregon Files (co-authored with Craig Dirgo on first two, Jack DuBrul on the second two), which focuses on "The Oregon," introduced in "Flood Tide." While appearing to be a decrepit freighter, it's actually a high-tech advanced ship used by the Corporation, under the leadership of Juan Cabrillo. The ship is run like a business, with its crew shareholders, taking jobs for the CIA and other agencies to help stop terrorism and other crimes. The crew is adept at disguises, combat, computer hacking and more to aid their missions. Both Kurt Austin and Dirk Pitt make a cameo in the fourth book, 'Skeleton Coast.'

So If you are into high adventure, action and intrigue on (and under) the seven seas, Clive Cussler is your man!